HC Deb 05 December 1977 vol 940 cc593-4W
Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for Employment from the latest available figures, what are the average weekly earnings of adult male manual workers in manufacturing in Scotland when compared with England and Northern Ireland, respectively.

Mr. Golding

The New Earnings Survey estimates for April 1977 of the average gross weekly earnings in manufacturing industries of full time manual men, aged 21 and over, whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence are:

Scotland £75.00
England £74.00

Northern Ireland not yet available.

These estimates are subject to sampling error and are rounded to the nearest pence. They are to be published in New Earnings Survey, 1977, Part C.

Earlier estimates for October 1976 obtained from the Department's annual inquiry, including all who received some pay for the reference week, were

Scotland £68.00
England £67.70
Northern Ireland £66.00

Differences in average earnings between regions include the effects of different industrial and occupational structures: they do not therefore give a precise indication of differences in earnings for comparable work.

Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is able to estimate the total number of working people earning below a gross wage of £50 per week.

Mr. Golding

The New Earnings Survey indicates that in April 1977, among full-time employees whose pay for the survey reference pay-period was not affected by absence about 1.1 million men aged 21 and over and 2.7 million women aged 18 and over had gross earnings under £50 per week. These estimates exclude younger workers, part-time workers and full-time workers whose pay was affected by absence or who were not at work or who were not members of PAYE schemes.

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